Innovation

FEATURE
SECTION

On good ground
EQC is sponsoring innovative ground improvement techniques that will
not only strengthen land in Christchurch to allow resilient rebuilding but
may offer a solution for vulnerable land in other parts of the country.
BY NICK HELM, FREELANCE WRITER, TENPOINT COMMUNICATIONS

improvement methods that could be used to

strengthen the upper few metres of land to
reduce the liquefaction vulnerability, says Dr
Hugh Cowan, General Manager Reinsurance,
Research and Education at EQC. The work,
which was completed in 2013, was led by
Dr Sjoerd Van Ballegooy of the geotechnical engineering firm Tonkin & Taylor and
supported by a number of research partners,
sponsors and contractors from New Zealand
and the United States.
The second stage, which is currently
under way, is a land repair pilot programme,
which involves installing those methods in
real-life situations where people are repairing
or rebuilding their homes.

Four strategies identified

Stone columns before blast trial.

Simply reinstating the original ground

level using fill had been ruled out in earlier

ONE OF THE LASTING EFFECTS of the

Strengthening liquefaction-prone land

research, so EQC focused on trialling tech-

Canterbur y e ar thqu ake s i s the land

In response, EQC launched a programme to

niques that could stiffen and densify the

damage. The major events, particularly the

investigate several unconventional ground

upper soil and restore its strength and perfor-

22 February quake, caused tectonic subsid-

remediation techniques in an effort to find

mance, despite the lower overall ground level.

ence and severe liquefaction in many parts

practical, cost-effective and consentable

Most of the techniques were adapted from

of eastern and central Christchurch. The

methods to strengthen residential land that

methods used on large-scale civil construc-

subsidence meant that the non-liquefying

is vulnerable to liquefaction

tion projects and scaled down for residential

soil layers had become much thinner,

The first stage of the Land Improvement

properties in Christchurch, says Dr Cowan.

increasing the vulnerability to liquefaction

Programme involved testing in the residen-

The first method, rapid impact compac-

damage in future earthquakes.

tial red zone to evaluate different ground

tion, uses a falling weight to repeatedly

Build 143 August/September 2014 53

FEATURE
SECTION

Innovation

compact the ground surface. This improves

The levels of shaking in the soil directly

ground density down to several metres and

beneath the T-Rex machine were strong

pilot 18 in Christchurch and 10 in Kaiapoi.

is particularly suited for sandy soils in areas

enough to liquefy the unimproved ground,

We are about to start installing a ground

where there is adequate distance from

whereas for most of the methods, greater

improvement method on a number of prop-

neighbouring buildings.

This stage is coming to a close, he says.

levels of shaking were required to trigger

erties with repairable houses. This work

Low-mobility grout involves injecting

liquefaction. For some ground improvement

uses horizontal soil mixing, which can be

concrete bulbs into the ground to squeeze the

methods, the T-Rex machine was unable to

used to improve land under existing houses

surrounding soil and increase the soil density.

trigger liquefaction, even at the strongest

without the need to jack the building up or

levels of shaking, he says.

temporarily remove it, he says.

Short stone columns work on a similar

principle by pushing gravel into the ground

Explosives were also used to induce large-

There will be several properties in this

instead of concrete to improve ground

scale liquefaction to test the performance

part of the pilot, and the work will go on

density and also stiffen the soil. The tech-

of the ground improvements overlying a

over the next few months.

nique offers advantages on sandy sites, but

thick layer of liquefied soil. The stiffened

it also requires a clear site.

and strengthened upper soil layers for most

Will inform guidance document

Fo r s i t e s w i t h v i b r a t i o n o r s p a c e

of the ground improvement methods miti-

Once the pilot is complete, the lessons

constraints, soil cement mixing can be used.

gated the occurrence of liquefaction ejecta

learned from applying these methods

Where the structure is still in place, hori-

over the improved areas and also reduced

will become publicly available. EQC is

zontal soil mixing can be used. This creates

the differential ground surface settlement

working with MBIE to refine the ground

horizontal cemented columns in the target

compared to the natural unimproved soil.

improvement method specification and

layer that confines the soil and suppresses

However, the trials showed low-mobility

incorporate it into Guidance: Repairing and

soil deformation during earthquake shaking.

compaction grouting did not perform as

rebuilding houses affected by the Canterbury

expected and was unlikely to be successful

earthquakes.

Quakes recreated to test methods

as a shallow-ground improvement method in

This means homeowners in Canterbury

Test sites were selected from a careful analysis

a scaled-down residential application. This

can apply these methods and have confi-

of geotechnical information to ensure that

technique was not used for the pilot.

dence in the way their land, and the

the engineering properties of the soil layers

buildings on them, will perform in future

closely matched the majority of soil conditions

Moving on to real-world remediation

that would be encountered in the rebuild

The first pilot programme focused on bare

It also means the methods will be avail-

where ground improvements would be most

land properties, where the house has been

able throughout New Zealand if homeowners

relevant, says Dr Cowan.

demolished and needs to be rebuilt. Were

or developers want to build on land that has

The effectiveness of the remediation was

using stone columns, driven timber piles, in

similar characteristics to the sandy and silty

tested in two ways controlled blasting and

situ soil mixing and gravel raft construction

soil areas in Christchurch.

an earthquake simulator known as T-Rex.

on these sites. There are 28 properties in the

non- liquefiable
crust

non- liquefiable
crust

liquefiable soil

earthquakes, says Dr Cowan.

For more

Visit www.eqc.govt.nz/canterbury.

gravel

liquefiable soil
Rapid impact compaction

54 Build 143 August/September 2014

trench

non- liquefiable crust

liquefiable soil
Stone columns

Horizontal soil mixing